Advice from CMYK Magazine
// July 28th, 2009 // Inspirational Findings
Today I went to Chapters and was looking through design magazines for inspiration. I came across CMYK Magazine which had many interesting articles. One was about the job climate for new designers and another was about ways to market yourself in the industry. I ended up buying this magazine because I felt this information would be useful as I am in my final term here at BCIT’s New Media and Web Development program. I will be facing the “real world” of the industry very soon.
13 ways to market yourself
I found it interesting that the advice feature of this issue of CMYK Magazine had much of the same advice that was emphasized by many of my instructors at BCIT. Major advice was around networking. Going to industry events to meet and interact with colleagues and industry professionals and getting to know your peers were forms of networking mentioned. I found it kind of ironic that although we find ourselves feeling in competition for employment with others, they may be the one that gets our foot in the door. I think it is a positive mindset though to view them as being in a strong network with you rather than competing with you. Taking advantage of social media was also another tip of advice as well.
Branding Me
A big piece of advice that stuck out to me in this article was building yourself into a brand. Branding is one of the aspects of design that really feel strongly about. Branding allows the viewer to experience and feel the essence and personality of a company. I believe if you can successfully communicate a brand and produce a strong design to go along with it, the possibilities of what you can achieve are endless.
For myself, I am working on developing my brand. My brand motto is, “creating designs with a creative splash!” I have created a dolphin as my logo as I believe many of the traits I encompass as a designer reflect the qualities of a dolphin. I am an eager hard-worker who is friendly and always wants to learn more. I enjoy working independently or with a team and have a willingness to create a splash in the industry.
For your information: The magazine I mentioned in this blog post is CMYK Magazine, Vol. 44.
